Halt and Catch Fire Season 2 Episode 10 Review: Heaven is a Place
Sean McKenna
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For the characters on Halt and Catch Fire, Texas was simply a smaller stage, the stepping stone to something even better.
California, here we come.
Where Halt and Catch Fire Season 1 Episode 10 ended on something of a closed note, a feeling that the story could be over, Halt and Catch Fire Season 2 Episode 10 provided a much greater sense of the characters’ journeys only just getting started.
And after the major upgrade Halt and Catch Fire Season 2 was, I’m far more excited to see what happens next.
The most tense moment of the hour involved Gordon’s revelation that he cheated on Donna, a moment I thought maybe was going to get swept under the rug. The prospect of divorce seemed imminent as the truth came spilling out.
Yes, Donna was wrapped up in her work, but Gordon blaming her absence for his cheating was a little ridiculous. I understand that wanting some sort of connection with someone after learning about the brain damage was there, but you can’t put all the blame on Donna.
And while Donna mentioned not wanting to walk away from Gordon because he was sick, even though she could, I wonder if her ultimate end result for trying to fix their marriage would be different if he wasn’t sick. Would she have straight up left him if he was healthy?
It was certainly an interesting proposition to get Gordon to essentially use all his money to pay to get Mutiny its own network in addition to moving to California and joining Mutiny himself. I was glad that neither of them thought it would be a guaranteed fix, but maybe the change will wind up bringing them closer together.
If anything, I’ll be glad to see Gordon interacting with the other main characters again and getting involved with the main story. As much as the season has done a decent job of showing Gordon’s struggles, it hasn’t been nearly as interesting as everything else going on.
I’ll be glad to see him get back in the game.
Plus, I was pleased that John returned to Mutiny at the last second. I knew he couldn’t stay away, and I think he’s an extremely valuable asset to the company as much as he is a friend to Cameron.
But poor Cameron, as much as she was able to get Mutiny back on track, she wound up losing Tom.
Perhaps she could have done a bit more convincing or expressed her feelings for Tom when giving him the plane ticket rather than just saying she needed a worker on the team. Tom loved doing the computer work, but he loved Cameron more.
That said, he may have just missed the flight, or he might wind up coming down for Halt and Catch Fire Season 3. Who knows, but I really liked the addition of Tom as a lead character for the second season.
But Joe, the man who tried to be human, who tried to be open, wound up with his heart broken – it still seems odd that Sara abandoned ship so quickly and easily; I was disappointed by that – and a scarred resume.
I really wasn’t sure what was next for him, until Gordon (who seemed to be on Team Joe – and shocker that Donna revealed she was in on giving Joe the virus to ruin West Group) gave Joe the antidote to the virus.
Just seeing Joe in that office laying down the facts, controlling the situation, discussing the future involving anti-virus software harkened back to that old Joe.
I was even sort of hoping that maybe Gordon would join Joe to work together on the new project. Still, Joe did pretty well for himself on his own, something Gordon saw in the magazine.
But what a fantastic final shot of Joe, back in snazzy suit, looking even more charged up than Halt and Catch Fire Season 1 Joe, staring out across the city, without his ring, and seemingly ready to take command of his next chapter.
The Halt and Catch Fire Season 2 Joe is done, and I’m excited to see what this new hardened and passionate version has in store.
If anything, this season finale wasn’t a slam, bang ending, but it shifted the major pieces into their new positions, getting viewers prepped for the next, and bigger, stage to see them on.
And when Halt and Catch Fire Season 3 plugs back in (and let’s hope it does get that chance!), I’m sure the team and the cast will bring a shiny, new and exciting season.
What did you think of the sophomore season? Are you looking forward to California? Sound off below, and if you haven't caught up, be sure to watch Halt and Catch Fire online at TV Fanatic!
Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.
